Sunday
April 2
1. GOD’S PLAN FOR HIS CHILDREN
a. What blessing has God provided for His children since their creation? Proverbs 4:10-13.
b. What promise, appeal, and example does He give to each one of us? Psalm 32:8, 9.
“Christ did not exalt man by ministering to his pride. He humbled Himself, and became obedient to death, even the death of the cross; and unless human pride is humbled and subdued, unless the stubborn heart is made tender by the Spirit of Christ, it is not possible for Him to impress His divine similitude upon us. He, the humble Nazarene, might have poured contempt upon the world’s pride, for He was commander in the heavenly courts; but He came to our world in humility, in order to show that it is not riches, or position, or authority, or honorable titles, that the universe of heaven respects and honors, but those who will follow Christ, making any position or duty honorable by the virtue of their character, through the power of His grace.”-The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, p. 1562.
Monday
April 3
2. WHOSE PLAN SHALL WE FOLLOW?
a. How are many professed Christians sadly echoing the deluded sentiments of Lucifer? Matthew 5:19; Mark 12:24.
“There are those who say, ‘Give me Christ, but I want nothing of the law.’ They talk of the grace of Christ, but they know not the meaning of grace; for God does not use His grace to make void the law. Satan has confused their minds, leading them to look upon the law as a yoke of bondage, a hindrance to spirituality. They talk of faith, but they know not the meaning of the word; for faith is never found apart from truth. The peace which they boast their faith gives them is but self-righteous confidence. Let no one claim that he has been accepted by Christ and is living without sin, while at the same time he is, like Lucifer, waging war against God’s law, aiding the enemy in the very work which he commenced in heaven and is carrying forward on this earth.
“Thousands today are transgressing God’s law, advocating the ideas which for ages Satan has been manufacturing. Like the proud Pharisees, they are ignorant both of the Scriptures and of the power of God.”-The Signs of the Times, July 31, 1901.
b. How does the New Testament confirm God’s plan for us through his creation and redemption? Ephesians 2:10.
“‘God created man in His own image’ (Genesis 1:27), and it was His purpose that the longer man lived the more fully he should reveal this image-the more fully reflect the glory of the Creator. All his faculties were capable of development; their capacity and vigor were continually to increase. . . .
“To restore in man the image of his Maker, to bring him back to the perfection in which he was created, to promote the development of body, mind, and soul, that the divine purpose in his creation might be realized-this was to be the work of redemption. This is the object of education, the great object of life.”-Education, pp. 15, 16.
Tuesday
April 4
3. EARLY KEEPERS OF GOD’S LAW
a. How were the creation and redemption of humanity closely intertwined with God’s law from the time of the early patriarchs? Genesis 1:27; 3:9-12; Job 33:23-28.
“Adam and Eve, at their creation, had a knowledge of the law of God; they were acquainted with its claims upon them; its precepts were written upon their hearts. When man fell by transgression the law was not changed, but a remedial system was established to bring him back to obedience. The promise of a Saviour was given, and sacrificial offerings pointing forward to the death of Christ as the great sin offering were established. But had the law of God never been transgressed, there would have been no death, and no need of a Saviour; consequently there would have been no need of sacrifices.
“Adam taught his descendants the law of God, and it was handed down from father to son through successive generations. But notwithstanding the gracious provision for man’s redemption, there were few who accepted it and rendered obedience. By transgression the world became so vile that it was necessary to cleanse it by the Flood from its corruption. The law was preserved by Noah and his family, and Noah taught his descendants the Ten Commandments.” -Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 363.
b. What can we learn from God’s report of Noah and Abraham? Genesis 6:22; 26:2-5.
“The obedient do not simply cry, ‘Believe, all you have to do is believe in Christ;’ but their faith is like Noah’s and Abraham’s, which led them to keep the commandments. They follow the example of Christ, they listen and wait to catch every word of direction from the Captain of their salvation. They respond to the voice that says, ‘This is the way, walk ye in it’ (Isaiah 30:21).
“Every step that Noah and Abraham took in obedience to God’s word was a step of victory. A ‘Thus saith the Lord’ fortified Noah in doing his work of warning the world. The testimony in regard to Noah is, ‘And Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded him’ (Genesis 7:5). The path of obedience is the path in which our safety lies; for it is the willing and obedient that shall eat the good of the land. If we keep the commandments of God, we may claim His recorded promises in all their fullness.”-The Signs of the Times, March 31, 1890.
Wednesday
April 5
4. THE SPECIFICS GIVEN AT SINAI
a. What did God do at Sinai, and why? Exodus 24:12; 31:18; Deuteronomy 4:13.
“[The Lord] did not . . . trust His precepts to the memory of a people who were prone to forget His requirements, but wrote them upon tables of stone. He would remove from Israel all possibility of mingling heathen traditions with His holy precepts, or of confounding His requirements with human ordinances or customs. . . .
“If man had kept the law of God, as given to Adam after his fall, preserved by Noah, and observed by Abraham, there would have been no necessity for the ordinance of circumcision. And if the descendants of Abraham had kept the covenant, of which circumcision was a sign, they would never have been seduced into idolatry, nor would it have been necessary for them to suffer a life of bondage in Egypt; they would have kept God’s law in mind, and there would have been no necessity for it to be proclaimed from Sinai or engraved upon the tables of stone.”-Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 364.
b. What are we to understand by all that was encompassed at Sinai? Nehemiah 9:13.
“[The Lord] communicated with Moses from the cloud of glory above the mercy seat, and gave him full directions concerning the system of offerings and the forms of worship to be maintained in the sanctuary. The ceremonial law was thus given to Moses, and by him written in a book. But the law of Ten Commandments spoken from Sinai had been written by God Himself on the tables of stone, and was sacredly preserved in the ark. . . .
“The distinction between the two systems is broad and clear. The ceremonial system was made up of symbols pointing to Christ, to His sacrifice and His priesthood. This ritual law, with its sacrifices and ordinances, was to be performed by the Hebrews until type met antitype in the death of Christ, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. Then all the sacrificial offerings were to cease. It is this law that Christ ‘took . . . out of the way, nailing it to His cross’ (Colossians 2:14). But concerning the law of Ten Commandments the psalmist declares, ‘Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven’ (Psalm 119:89).”-Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 364, 365.
Thursday
April 6
5. A LIVING, VICTORIOUS FAITH
a. What earnest appeals does our Lord give each of us? Isaiah 1:18-20; 1 John 2:1-5.
“The path of obedience is the path in which our safety lies; for it is the willing and obedient that shall eat the good of the land. If we keep the commandments of God, we may claim His recorded promises in all their fullness. Many feel so unworthy that like the poor publican they dare not lift up so much as their eyes to heaven. They should encourage faith. We may have an intelligent faith; we may not only say we believe, but we may in meekness and confidence be able to define what we believe, and why we believe as we do. We should exercise living faith, not a blind credulity. All heaven is at the command of those who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus.
“We need to come up to a higher standard, to go forward and claim our exalted privileges. We should walk humbly with God, make no proud boasts of perfection of character, but in simple faith claim every promise in the word of God; for they are for the obedient, not for the transgressors of God’s law. We are simply to believe the testimony of God and have entire dependence on Him, and all possibility of self-glory or pride will be removed. We are indeed saved by faith, not by a passive faith, but by the faith which works by love, and purifies the soul. The hand of Christ can reach the veriest sinner and bring him back from transgression to obedience; but no Christianity is so lofty that it can soar above the requirements of God’s holy law. This would be beyond Christ’s power to help, it would be outside of His teachings and His example; for He says, ‘I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love’ (John 15:10), and all who follow Christ will render obedience to God’s holy law.”-The Signs of the Times, March 31, 1890.
Friday
April 7
PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. How can I bring my life more into harmony with God’s revealed plan?
2. How might a professed Christian actually be in danger of following Lucifer’s ways?
3. What do Adam, Noah, and Abraham all have in common?
4. Why is the moral law to be kept distinct from the ceremonial law?
5. How is God’s law closely intertwined with the daily experience of a Christian?